9. Other Objects in the Solar System

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Questions and Answers

What is the consequence of a meteorite impact according to the text?

Rapid cooling and minor climate changes

No significant impact on climate and extinction

Reduced sunlight and resulting climate change leading to mass extinction (correct)

Increased sunlight and resulting climate change leading to mass extinction

What have geologists discovered in Mexico, possibly from a 10-kilometer asteroid or comet?

An ancient civilization

Remnants of a volcanic eruption

Fossils of unknown species

A 65 million-year-old subsurface crater (correct)

How often do major impacts leading to extinction-level events occur?

Never occurred before

Millions of years apart (correct)

Every thousand years

Every few decades

What is the potential threat mentioned in the text?

An undiscovered asteroid Signup and view all the answers

What can potentially affect impact rates on Earth, according to the text?

Jupiter's gravity redirecting comets Signup and view all the answers

What is the largest volcano in the solar system according to the text?

Found on Mars Signup and view all the answers

What do class questions cover according to the text?

Definition of a planet, planetary characteristics, and space exploration missions Signup and view all the answers

What did the IAU officially define in 2006, as mentioned in the text?

A planet Signup and view all the answers

What did New Horizons fly by in 2015 according to the text?

Pluto Signup and view all the answers

What does the discussion question ask about according to the text?

The existence of life elsewhere in the Universe Signup and view all the answers

What prevented the rocky planetesimals in the asteroid belt from accreting into a planet?

Gravitational disturbances from Jupiter Signup and view all the answers

What is the location of the Kuiper Belt?

Beyond Neptune Signup and view all the answers

What caused the creation of gaps in the asteroid belt?

Orbital resonances with Jupiter Signup and view all the answers

What is the composition of Pluto?

Icy Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between Pluto and Charon?

Charon is almost as large as Pluto and was likely formed by a major impact Signup and view all the answers

When was Pluto discovered?

1930 Signup and view all the answers

What caused the unusual orbit of Pluto that at times reaches inside that of Neptune?

Gravitational interactions with Neptune Signup and view all the answers

What was the aim of the New Horizons mission?

To map the surface composition of Pluto and Charon, characterize their geology, and explore the Kuiper Belt Signup and view all the answers

What is the nature of Pluto's surface?

Very cold, with a thin nitrogen atmosphere that refreezes as it moves farther from the Sun Signup and view all the answers

What is the size relationship between Pluto and its moons?

Pluto has several moons, with Charon being the largest and having a relatively low number of impact craters Signup and view all the answers

What scientific instruments did the New Horizons spacecraft carry for its mission?

ALICE, LORRI, RALPH MVIC, RALPH LEISA, REX, SWAP, and SDC Signup and view all the answers

What prevented the rocky planetesimals in the asteroid belt from forming a large terrestrial planet?

Jupiter's gravity stirring up their orbits Signup and view all the answers

What is the composition of comets?

Primarily rock and ice Signup and view all the answers

What was the mission of Deep Impact?

To study the nucleus of Comet Tempel 1 Signup and view all the answers

What causes meteor showers on Earth?

Small particles ejected by comets Signup and view all the answers

Where do most long-period comets originate?

Oort Cloud Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between the ion tail and dust tail of comets?

Ion tail points directly away from the Sun, while dust tail is slightly curved Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary difference between the Kuiper Belt and the Oort cloud?

Kuiper Belt has orderly orbits from 30–50 AU, while Oort cloud has random orbits extending to about 50,000 AU Signup and view all the answers

What happens when a meteoroid collides with Earth?

It generates immense heat, vaporizes, and produces a meteor Signup and view all the answers

What determines whether a meteoroid becomes a meteorite?

Making it to the ground Signup and view all the answers

Where are the objects Quaoar, 2004 DW, and Sedna found?

Kuiper Belt Signup and view all the answers

What is the atmosphere around the heated nucleus of a comet called?

Coma Signup and view all the answers

What do a few meteorites found on Earth originate from?

The Moon and Mars Signup and view all the answers

What is the range of the Oort cloud's orbits?

Extending to about 100,000s of AU Signup and view all the answers

What is the approximate number of asteroids with a diameter greater than 1 kilometer?

150,000 Signup and view all the answers

Which asteroid is mentioned as the largest with a diameter of approximately 1000 kilometers?

Ceres Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary location where most asteroids orbit in the solar system?

Asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter Signup and view all the answers

What type of objects follow Jupiter's orbit?

Trojan asteroids Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

The Kuiper Belt, Comets, and Meteorites

The Kuiper Belt is home to most long-period comets, and several new solar system objects have been discovered in this region.
Objects like Quaoar, 2004 DW, and Sedna have been found in the Kuiper Belt, with Sedna having a highly eccentric orbit.
Comets are composed of loosely bound rock and ice, forming beyond the frost line, and most remain frozen in the outer solar system.
Deep Impact was a mission to study the nucleus of Comet Tempel 1, involving a projectile hitting the surface.
Comets have two tails: an ion tail that points directly away from the Sun, and a slightly curved dust tail.
Comets have a coma, which is the atmosphere from the heated nucleus, and a plasma and dust tail that are pushed by different forces.
Comets eject small particles that cause meteor showers when Earth crosses their orbit, such as the Perseids, Leonids, and Taurids.
Comets come from the Oort cloud, with random orbits extending to about 50,000 AU, and the Kuiper Belt, with orderly orbits from 30–50 AU.
Meteoroids, smaller than 1 meter across, can collide with Earth and generate immense heat, causing them to vaporize and produce a meteor.
During a meteor shower, observers can see from ten to a hundred meteors per hour, and any meteoroid that makes it to the ground becomes a meteorite.
Meteorites can be primitive or processed, and a few meteorites have been found to be from the Moon and Mars.
The Kuiper Belt is a torus of asteroids from about 30–100 AU, while the Oort cloud is a sphere of material surrounding our Solar System out to 100,000s of AU.

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